Grilled Caprese Naan Pizza

When we were in Atlanta last week, we ate lunch at a restaurant a few blocks from our hotel called Naan Stop. I got a naanwich filled with chola (no, not that kind of chola) and a sweet apple-tamarind curry, which was messy, but delicious. Why are there not more naan restaurants?! There really should be.

I’m kind of convinced that naan is the new pita. You can use them both in the same ways–tear them into pieces and use them for dipping, make sandwiches with them, and use them instead of a traditional pizza crust. But what makes naan better than pitas is that now you can buy tasty naan in your local grocery store. While you can buy pitas too, so often they’re dry and tasteless. I am not a big fan of store-bought pitas, but I’m pretty crazy about naan.

I’ve used naan as a pizza crust before, but the difference in this naan pizza recipe is that this time, I grilled it first. You can do this on an outdoor grill if you have one, but I just used a cast iron grill pan–much easier! Grill both sides of the naan until it’s warmed and has nice grill marks on it, then top it with grape tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and drizzle the whole thing with a balsamic reduction.

This is the kind of meal I could eat all summer long. It’s not fussy, it’s simple to make, and it tastes delicious. Even if you like your caprese without tomatoes. (Yeah, that would be me.)

Ingredients

A handful or two of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (use heirloom if you can!)

A handful or two of small fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine)

1/4 c. fresh basil ribbons

Salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until syrupy and reduced to about a tablespoon, 8-10 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray both sides of one naan with olive oil and place it in the pan, pressing down on the top of it with a spatula to sear. Cook on each side until just beginning to char, about 2-3 minutes. Repeat with second naan.

Top each naan with tomatoes, cheese, and basil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

If you can’t find ciliegine at your grocery store, you can buy a bigger size and uses slices of it on the pizza instead.

72 Comments

I asked my guy to throw a couple of naan onto the barbecue last week and he asked if it was pita bread. I’m all, no – way better! Love making pizza with it – it’s so easy. But mine are never as gorgeous as what you have going on here. That’s the prettiest pizza ever.

Caprese without tomatoes?! I laughed out loud. I’m glad you embraced the cherry tomatoes on here, though–they look so perfect with those little balls of mozzarella. Man, if you’re starting a naan fan club, I’ll join. Sigh. My boyfriend and I just tried Indika, one of the iconic Indian restaurants in Houston and he chose the garlic crusted naan, which was good–but they also had pistachio apricot, mushroom cheese and beet and amul naan! Don’t those sound amazing?!

I would so go to a naan restaurant if there was one nearby! I love naan bread – I’ll sometimes eat it on its own with dip and call that lunch – and I agree that grocery store brands can be even better than the ones they serve at restaurants. I also love the concept of naan pizzas since they’re naturally personal sized and so easy to work with!

So beautiful!! And caprese is one of my favorite pizzas. I would also willingly take your share of tomatoes, the way I pass off pickle spears to friends. I also have a mad thing for naan, but I’ve never bought the grocery store kind — I think I’m afraid I’d go on a carb explosion if I don’t limit myself to Indian restaurant outings for naan. Looking at this is bringing me to that slippery slope, though.

Love this recipe…I have never seen naan in our grocery store…I will have to look next time I go to OKC…we have one small store and Walmart to purchase groceries and I don’t do Walmart unless it is a earth shattering emergency of some kind.